


And the Torch Goes To...

by rizahawkaye



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fashion & Couture, Gen, Interviews, Protective Zuko (Avatar), aang is mentioned <3, fashion designer korra (plus shes a prodigy!), uncle zuko!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29271882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rizahawkaye/pseuds/rizahawkaye
Summary: Prince Zuko’s clothing line Fire Prince has taken a striking upward turn in recent months, a trend which Prince Zuko attributes directly to his Republic City University protégé, Avatar Korra. Some have lauded Prince Zuko’s crowning of the young Korra as his successor as a step forward for women in streetwear, while others have criticized him for choosing to place the world-renowned Fire Prince on the shoulders of a 19-year-old college sophomore, Avatar or not. But Zuko has known Korra since she was in diapers, and he’s convinced she is all that’s needed to propel Fire Prince into the future. Of course, that’s just what we would expect him to say, isn’t it?[Interview-style piece written for the ATLA zine vol. 2! I've been lucky enough to take part in both vol. 1 and vol. 2 of this zine, and I'm so grateful. They are such beautifully made zines and gave me the chance to force some of my favorite characters to interact.]
Relationships: Korra & Zuko (Avatar)
Kudos: 6





	And the Torch Goes To...

**Author's Note:**

> this piece was fun to write, and my second time writing an interview piece for a zine! i find they really give you a lot of room to be creative and speak through/for the character without using first person (a big plus for me). i always wanted to see more zuko and korra interactions because they are my favorite characters from their respective atla shows, and this was the perfect excuse to make it happen. 
> 
> i hope you all enjoy!

Prince Zuko has been the talk of Republic City for quite some time. No stranger to the limelight, he touts over one-hundred and fifty (that’s a big 1-5-0) million Instagram followers, as well as 20 million on YouTube. Prince Zuko got his start young right out of the Fire Nation’s very own Fire Academy. At 22, the upstart was an intern for his father at the family’s booming new agency, but untold circumstances forced him out of the family business and into the arms of  _ Avatar _ , everyone’s favorite brand of athletic clothes, shoes, and accessories. Prince Zuko spent several years climbing the professional—and social—ladder at  _ Avatar _ , his then-best friend and fashion rival Aang ( _ Avatar _ ’s previous CEO) a constant, but pleasant, thorn in his side. It wasn’t until Aang made the cut for full-time assistantship that Prince Zuko made his move. On the heels of his father’s death, Prince Zuko inherited none of his father’s wealth—the business and the money going to his sister, Princess Azula ( _ Fire Lord _ owner and CEO). Prince Zuko didn’t let that curb his appetite, however. He secured a loan from an unknown source and in the same year launched  _ Fire Prince _ . The rest is history… and some of it is unfolding right before our eyes!

Prince Zuko’s clothing line _ Fire Prince _ has taken a striking upward turn in recent months, a trend which Prince Zuko attributes directly to his Republic City University protégé, Avatar Korra. Some have lauded Prince Zuko’s crowning of the young Korra as his successor as a step forward for women in streetwear, while others have criticized him for choosing to place the world-renowned  _ Fire Prince  _ on the shoulders of a 19-year-old college sophomore, Avatar or not. But Zuko has known Korra since she was in diapers, and he’s convinced she is all that’s needed to propel  _ Fire Prince _ into the future. Of course, that’s just what we would expect him to say, isn’t it?

“I taught Korra everything I know,” says Prince Zuko. He slides his arm over the back of Korra’s chair. “I helped raise Korra. I know some might call that nepotism, but it was truly a coincidence that Korra took an interest in fashion. I nurtured what was already there, despite her parents’ misgivings, ha-ha.” Prince Zuko pats Korra’s head and she smirks at him from under the brim of her hat. “But I didn’t decide to sign things over to her until my recent stint in Republic City.”

Prince Zuko taught classes at the prestigious Republic City University for a time in the fall of last year, earning an honorary Bachelor’s degree in fashion—a degree that didn’t exist when he went to university for marketing and corporate law in the seventies. 

“My father was the hotshot fashion mogul. My sister has a better eye for it than I ever will, she was just born with—She was born with that inherent talent, you know. But I had the work ethic.”

“And he pounded that work ethic into me,” Korra chimes in. She’s wearing one of  _ Fire Prince’s _ newest lines, a crop-top long sleeve decorated in coral-and-blue plaid, waves rushing along the collar. Her hat is white, wavy blue lines reminiscent of the ocean flow across it and decorate the lip. “Aang is a relative of sorts, y’know. He was the previous Avatar and all that, and I think people, like—I think people expected me to take over  _ Avatar _ for him. But Zuko was Uncle Zuko growing up and I never knew Aang.” Korra crosses her legs and leans forward, her eyes earnest. “Zuko was my fire bending teacher and I saw him often. We got to know one another like a true family.”

By 26 years of age, Prince Zuko had amassed a legion of loyal followers, bursting through the fashion industry’s bolted doors with a battering ram (or rather, an arsenal of practical industry experience supplied to him by his family and his own unwavering tenacity). And despite the trepidation from fans and experts alike, Korra’s track record is nothing to scoff at. Having been granted entrance into Republic City University’s competitive fashion program at the ripe age of 16, Korra has already secured a spot in Masters attending the Fire Nation’s oldest and most touted school, Prince Zuko’s Alma Mater, Fire Academy. She won’t pay a cent, and instead will work alongside Fire Academy staff while simultaneously gearing up to take the  _ Fire Prince _ reins from Prince Zuko himself—all before 20!

“There is not a doubt in my mind about what Korra can do. The, uh—What she’s wearing is something she came up with herself, actually. I was apprehensive, but focus groups loved it.”

Korra stands and spins in a swift 360. The back of her crop-top flashes her name in bolded blue-grey. Her pants are coral-and-blue plaid too, lines of darker blue, white, and grey fanning out along her legs. Her shoes, however, are seaweed-green, and in stark contrast to the blazing blue everywhere else. “I call it Elemental,” Korra says. She flashes a wide grin, white teeth splitting her tan face. “I sewed this myself from leftover fabric in the school’s labs. The pants are basically customized versions of what  _ Fire Prince _ already sells, but with, like, a few modifications.” Prince Zuko gives a look as if to say ‘I told you so.’

“We’re adding the shoes to the lineup.” Korra places her foot on the coffee table, turning her heel side to side. “It can be customized by color, name, whatever you want, really. I designed these myself using software the university developed. It took me two weeks, but I was pretty happy with the outcome by the time I got the designs to the manufacturer.” 

Prince Zuko holds up his hands. “This was all Korra. I didn’t ask her to add shoes, but when she came to me with the files, we spent an evening poring over them together and decided, hey, it’s time.”

There is no denying the shoes are stylish. Premiered on Instagram Live last Tuesday, the shoes have white soles in patterns of blazing fire, wild water, rugged rock, or swirling air. The color scheme is endless. While the elements and their colors may be controlled by nature, the shoes can be anything from cottony cloud white to neon pink. 

“I wanted to offer something that belongs to benders,” Korra explains. “Something that can tie us to community, like—Hm, like our own kind of community, you know? I think as tensions rise it’s important to remember that, yes, we are all one people but we are not all, um—I think, uh—I think ‘equal’ isn’t the right word, but we’re all allotted our own individuality, and I wanted to use Elemental to celebrate that.” Korra takes her seat. Her hands are wrung together in her lap, but her eyes are a fierce, stormy blue. The color of the Northern Water Tribe. “I’m hoping to divert  _ Fire Prince’ _ s trajectory a little. That might surprise and alarm some people, because  _ Fire Prince _ has been almost exclusively for benders since its inception. I think it’s time we expand on that while at the same time giving benders a little extra to let them know, like—Hey, we get it! We’re benders too.”

But Korra is not just any bender. Avatar Aang passed away nearly twenty years ago, leaving Korra to carry on his legacy. And Avatar Aang’s best friend is following in his footsteps, believing in Korra wholeheartedly, even when the world shouts its concerns.

“Korra is young,” Prince Zuko says, “but she is bright. She has carried more on her shoulders than most people my age, and she’s done it with the most grace and civility I have ever seen from a teenager. A teenager who was, by all accounts, almost impossible to raise.”

“I only lived with you in the summers!” Korra elbows Prince Zuko and they both smile. 

“My point—ow, Korra, that kind of hurt—My point is no one can know where  _ Fire Prince  _ will be a year from now, or even six months from now, but I know that Korra will successfully see it through any and all of its highest and lowest points, just as she has seen our world through them as the Avatar.

“It’s easy to discount someone you don’t know, but I do know Korra. Believe me when I say that it’ll be more than okay.”

There you have it, folks! Avatar Korra’s new line of clothes for  _ Fire Prince  _ is coming in the fall of this year, and preorders are already open. Follow the link at the bottom of this article to reserve your custom  _ Fire Prince  _ gear today!

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!


End file.
